Rest Day and Egg Pie

5 / 25 / 15

I was suppose to continue from where I left off with my last post, but I totally forgot due to stress (caused by I don’t know if it’s the connection or the PC itself). 😀 I even made a note of my upcoming posts only to be dismay because I lost all the pictures I needed for it. It was about all the sample products (freebies) that I received from EverydayMe. I remember registering in their site late last year and received the Ariel Powder soap and Downy Fabric Conditioner along with the membership card and a few discount coupons.

Next came were diapers ( I forgot the brand), then the Pantene 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner, Whisper Cottony X-Long, Downy Parfum Timeless Collection Scent Switcher. Those were really all good products as I have really tried and tested and gain favorable results with it.

Oh well, I really need a good “smart phone” for myself for my blogging needs. Tehee. Anyway, last Friday, since we could not open the kitchen due to flood in our street ( due to the DPWH project that is taking more than 49 years already!) Ian told me that he’ll teach me how to make an Egg Pie! and since I am not really a fan of cooking nor baking, I didn’t get excited with the idea! Hahaha!

But hey, I was wrong, when I finally was able to make my very own crust and get to taste the fruit of my labor, I think I fell in love with baking?!

We didn’t get the perfect color of the topping because we omitted doing the egg white foam?! Oh, but it really taste good!!! We were able to fill 2 pie dish and about 16 slices all in all. Happy tummy is what we really had that day!

Today is my son’s birthday. He got all his gifts as early as last month so for today, DH cooked pasta Carbonara. While the birthday celebrant and his big sister is out to attend their playmate’s 7th birthday, which they said had big pig (Lechon!), unlimited dirty ice cream, cakes, spaghetti, clowns, lots of food and plenty of games. They indeed enjoyed the day. Whew! Seems like the little forgot that it was his birthday eh. Haha!

This month is about to end this week. I am so looking forward to a fruitful and productive week ahead. I hope that I may be able to continue to update this blog more often like this. I missed blogging. Also, May God grant our wish for the kids soon. I hope you are enjoying the last days for the summer vacation! Have a great week ahead everyone!

What Happened Since My Last Post?

5 / 22 / 15

… Gabby, celebrated her 11th Birthday on April 27th. 🙂 Nothing grand, DH cooked pasta carbonara and we bought her Mango cake from Red Ribbon. She invited a couple of friends and treated them merienda. Prior to that ( about first week of April I think), she posted over at her FB account that she wanted to have Hamsters as a gift.

Little Hamsters photo IMG220.jpg

Sleepyhead Hammie photo IMG252.jpg But… both died a day after Gabby’s birthday 🙁 Nicco even captured them on video that morning, they were so cute being so playful and active. I think they died due to heat stroke because I left them at the terrace around 10 a.m and forgot to bring them inside the room. I only remember when I went out and saw them around 2 p.m. and It was freakin’ hot! I immediately took them inside the room and noticed they hardly move. They didn’t make it that day. The kids buried them the next day in our garden. They even offered them prayers that they both go to Pet Heaven. DH wanted to buy the kids another pair but I asked him not too soon. We had to let the summer end first because they might not be able to survive the weather.

Nicco on the other hand, got himself a Penny Board and a Vans rubber shoes as his early birthday gift.

School is about to start early next month so I am really hoping to fix our problem soon. I am also looking forward to find a job that will augment our family’s income. The kitchen does not operate on a regular straight 6 days per week so the income t generates cannot really cover all of our needs.

** To be continued (Internet is really getting crappy and PC hangs every five minutes) tomorrow.

Trust In Him

4 / 26 / 15

It wasn’t really a good morning. I decided to head on to the Divine Mercy church near our place. There was only a few people around, a man who was praying and a small group of choir practicing their songs near the altar. It felt more good as I hear their song and piano in the background as I prayed.

To share what I prayed, I asked for God’s guidance and mercy. Lifted in him my problems and seek a definite answer to my prayers. Yes, I asked him “Lord God, please let me know how will I be able to face all these challenges that we are having right now?” “You know my heart is now filled with doubt, fear and loneliness. Please fill and replace it with understanding, patience and love”.

I took a glance on my phone and saw 4 missed calls and 1 unread message from Ian. I know he is wondering where I am as I didn’t told him where I was going. I opened up his message and he asked, “Asan ka?” I replied. “Divine”. Then, I continued praying.

Again. I prayed “ Lord God, please tell me and guide me to the right direction.” Then the church’s bell rang. It was exactly 11 a.m. I prayed, “God, was it the sign?! I mean, the bell rang so I thought it could’ve been God’s answer. Haha! “ I said to myself, Oh no! it was just a sort of the church’s alarm clock. So again, while the bell continues ringing, I paid attention to the huge image of Christ at the altar, near his feet, there was a caption” JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU!”

So there, I was overwhelmed and felt warmth. I knew he gave me the answer right away. That is to TRUST HIM! I gave and offered everything so all I need is to TRUST IN HIM!

I’ve been so stubborn at times. The answers were already in front of me, but I always tend to look in different way as I find his answer. I think, most of us are like that. We failed to acknowledge his presence as we wanted things to happen the way we want it and then question him whenever we don’t get what we want.

Loving My New Blog Theme!

3 / 27 / 15

Finally, I was able to change my blog theme after three years! Hooray! This time around, I am so happy to find the one that I have been long looking for. First, a minimalist design. Second, It’s a free theme! Third, I was able to pull off a blog header that I made myself with the help of Angie’s simple “How to Design a Blog Header” Tutorial. 🙂 I downloaded some of her free flower clip arts and voila!

mylifeinthiswonderfulworld — credits to angiemakes.com for the water color flower clip arts. So girly and pretty!

I’ll be tinkering on the font colors next time. For now, I am loving everything here around- it feels homely and this is how I really wanted it to look like. Clean and minimal.

On the side note, our kitchen is close (again) and we will be reopening after Holy Week. So this is the reason why I had the luxury of time to surf around the net. haha! But I am also crossing my fingers that come the month of April, our business will bounce back up again! It has been quite a struggle for both Ian and I because our finances have been depleted since last month. But God is so good that he kept on providing us all that we need every time that we ran out of everything. For the many chances that he never fail to give us, we are so grateful!

I am yet to decide if I really have to go back to work, I mean an 8-5 working job to get a fix salary to augment our income. OR should I stay home still and help out in the Kitchen?! I have been long wanting to just stay at home and be with the family just like our situation now. BUT, the kitchen’s income is not enough to cover all the expenses- bills, bills and more bills! Actually, I am really praying hard to find a home based job. So I can still take a look over at home and the kids while working. I’ve been through a lot with my seven years working experience away from home- the hours of commute, people at work, the terrible weather, freakin hot summer season and the flood during the rainy days. Yes, the FLOOD! I don’t want to deal with them again anymore. Haha!

I know, God will grant me what’s the best for us! Be it a work away from home or a work based at home, it doesn’t really matter now. For as long as there is work. Ok, so much for the word WORK. haha! I know, God is working on it. 🙂

Cactus and Succulents

3 / 25 / 15

photo IMG167.jpg — cactus! I just don’t know what are the particular names for each of them. I used to call the farthest one, brocolli. the middle one as tomato, the third one with red pricks as fingerly cactus. hahaha

I bought these cactuses late last year. It was only last Monday, that I was able to repot all of them. Not in the photo is the Jade plant, that I am trying to regrow because there is only one remaining stem of it with few leaves as others already died due to over watering ( I guess!).

I started home gardening early last year as I saw my co-workers’ photo of her growing indoor plants (Pechay and Lettuce) and I got really interested too. She gave me some seeds and was able to grow and harvest them. For now, I also have planted some chili and peppers directly to soil in the garden (will show photos of them the next time) and I hope that they would really survive this time around.

I’d be adding up a few more of these cactus as I would be making my very own cactus and succulent garden. If you’re a follower of mine over at Pinterest. You can see that I’ve been pinning around a lot of inspiration of cactus and succulents in my Home Gardening Board 🙂

Can’t really wait for these prickly creatures to bore flowers soon!

Hello Summer Vacation!

3 / 19 / 15

Yes, yesterday was the last school day for both of my kids. Today is the start of their summer vacation and as early as yesterday afternoon after they got home from school, things have been crazy as they’ve been having a cat-dog fight over at their xylophone toy (an old toy since they were toddlers)! Haha! Imagine a few hours off from school huh?! I am so looking forward to a few more scenes like that during their entire school break! Oh my!

I hope to be able to organize my schedule so that they won’t get bored as I find something productive and creative activity for them to get busy with for the coming days. Still, I am praying that things work smoothly for our Kitchen, we’ve spent a lot on it (I’ve invested/put on it the entire money I got when I resigned from work) and I know that Ian really loves to cook and enjoys how our customer praise his prepared dishes everyday.

Sure we do get tired from the daily kitchen schedule-cooking, marketing, washing the dishes, etc. But this is our bread and butter now. All we really need is the willingness to hang on despite all the odds. Every business has its’ ups and downs right?! I know, things will be ok soon… There were just moments that we both feel like giving up, but looking at the bigger picture, we both know that our business has the potential because our hearts are on it.

I need to catch up on a lot of things- our room organization; cleaning and throwing away of unnecessary things that have been long sitting in the cabinet and boxes. PC clean up- sorting out the entire files and organizing photo albums. If only I can share the cluttered files in our desktop. Hee! Oh, last week, I had to rush out on a nearby computer shop to finish some articles because our PC just died?! (Power Supply got busted) Another expenses to fill is to buy a new wireless keyboard and mouse and a headphone. Our PC really needs an upgrade.

Oh how I miss a lot of my online activities. When things settle offline, I’d be catching up a lot. That’s a sure thing!

Buying My Son a Mattress from Across the Pond

3 / 14 / 15

When my son moved away to study in Birmingham, England, I still felt the need to send him care packages and call him to make certain he was getting everything he needed. I don’t care how old he is, my motherly instincts can still detect he needs certain things that he will no longer ask for. I could not have been more proud of my son as he decided to study to become an orthopedic doctor, but studying over 1,000 miles away has been a challenge for me. I wanted to share my story with making a purchase for him all these miles away that really has me more excited than words can even say.

My son started studying at Birmingham University and would call me everyday with how things were going. I could tell that after he made all his book and supplies purchases, that he was having difficulties furnishing his new room. When he moved into the University campus, he had nothing more than a bed frame with a nasty old mattress and a small dresser. I wanted to show my son how excited and proud I was of him, but trying to shower him with gifts from 1,000 miles away seemed a challenge at first. I knew he was getting low on funds and he needed to furnish his dormitory room, so i decided to try and buy some things for him online.

I really wanted to get him the best possible mattress because this was the field he was studying, and I had to make certain he was getting a solid night sleep so he was fresh and strong for his daily workload at school. I started my search for a new mattress for him, and it was a challenge at first because many websites do not provide shipping and delivery. Others had decent prices, but the order process was so complicated that I found myself getting frustrated rather quickly. I decided to do a search for an online bedding supply company in England, and found Cut Price Mattresses, conveniently located near the University in Birmingham.

So after visiting the Cut Price Mattresses website, I decided to buy mattress materials and some protective coverings so it would last him his entire stay on campus. I was amazed at all the different style mattresses they have in stock, and the discounted prices on name brand mattresses. I went with the best, and then checked to see about making arrangements for the bed to be delivered to his dorm room. The ordering process was simple, I still con not believe how easy the process was, and how efficient this company is at making sure the mattress was delivered exactly when they told me that he would have it.

I was also able to locate a furniture store called IKEA, and bought him some accessories to fill up his dorm room and make it more comfortable for him to study each night. Now he has a brand new mattress, new tables, desk, chair, and even some pictures for his wall. Now remember I am over 1,000 miles away from my son, and I still have the ability to spoil him when I want. Google is simply amazing to me. I just type in a search box what I want to buy, add a location, and instantly I am provided a list of local Birmingham stores that can do the delivery for me whenever I choose. I can tell when he got to his dorm room and met the delivery guys that he was extremely excited.

he thanked me for a week, and called me everyday telling me that he has not slept in a bed so comfortable his whole life. I could not be happier with my overall experience, especially my ability to buy mattress materials with the click of a mouse and have them delivered too. I don’t even hesitate any longer when I think that my son needs anything. I have used the Cut Price Mattresses website several times to buy mattress accessories for him since that day, and each time I rave about their products and exceptional customer service. As long as he remains in that school, they have a loyal customer.

The Right Fit For Your Kids Feet

3 / 13 / 15

Our kids’ feet require our keen attention as they grow up. Kids are known as hyper-active when it comes to physical activity. They walk, run and jump a lot! So we can just imagine how active their feet are all the time. So we have to make sure that they are well taken care of.

One of the essential things that we have to consider when buying them shoes or any kind of footwear is the right fit. The style and design is useless no matter how good it is aesthetically if kids will have trouble walking around in them.

The right fitting system for shoes and footwear must be observed (for example, for my UK readers, check out high street chain Brantano’s service here). The measure- length, depth, and width should all be noted. Trying on and of course, taking a walk or taking a few steps around to check on comfort and feel to get that right kind of fit for your kids feet!

Kids footwear varies from school, casual, formal and the usual “everyday” shoes. So it is important that we invest when it comes to kids shoes!

Personally, Hush Puppies have been our family’s favourite brand of shoes. From my parents and now that I am passing them on to my own kids as they never failed us when it came to style, fit and fashion- very sturdy and they always fit just right!

The Convenience Of Online Shopping

3 / 12 / 15

One of the perks that digital age has to offer is taking our shopping experience into to the next topnotch level- Online Shopping that is! The convenience of being able to shop with just a few clicks away at the comfort of our home.

This of course is a big favor to moms like me. Can you just imagine how we juggle different activity to fit them into our daily schedules?! So it is a big yes to the convenience of online shopping. No long lines, traffic and other hassles brought about by going into shopping malls. Glad that I have been introduced to the one stop shopping destination- the iprice.ph

Yes, it’s not just a typical shop as they work hand-in hand with our favorite online store like Zalora and Lazada to provide us shoppers the latest coupon, great help for us in terms of savings!

What I like best with iPrice.ph is that they got me covered as to my needs and wants. From electronics,clothing up to home living and personal essentials, they keep us up not just with coupons but with other discounts, deals, voucher and promotion what’s knot! 🙂

You can easily compare prices and be able to find the best deals that are pocket and mommy friendly budget. Now, I am off to check out on the latest deals… Will share once I am done and update on my shopping experience.

Idle…

3 / 6 / 15

…OR should I say immobilized?! That’s how I feel for four days now. The kitchen is closed. and I just really couldn’t find the energy to move and think straight. Things gotten worst and here I am doing nothing.

Yes, nothing! I felt so numb that I even couldn’t cry anymore. Thoughts just keeps on rambling in mind. For now, I am just going with the flow of emotions. Not healthy I know because all I feel are fears, doubts and worry. All these three negative emotions are getting into me. I could feel that my heart weakens.

But deep down inside, I still have this feeling of HOPE. I just couldn’t figure how to get out of this situation now.

I just went to the church to pray as I dropped off my son to school, but you know, I wasn’t able to find the right words to say. I just sat there for a few minutes and prayed for peace of mind as I left.

Now, here I am, letting this thing out in the open. Maybe not in full details ( I know you’re all wondering what’s the fuss’ all about, but you somehow understands what I’m going through now ) but I felt ok.

“This too shall pass” . Things will turn out ok. *crossing fingers

So help me God…